LINE DRIVES THE NATIONAL COLLEGIATE BASEBALL WRITERS NEWSLETTER (Volume 47, No. 2, Feb. 21, 2008) The President’s Message By NCBWA President Shamus McKnight Membership: Opening day is finally here. Programs from coast to coast have been working toward this day since the start of the school year. All the work in fall drills, winter conditioning and preseason practice is finally realized across the country as they step onto the diamond to begin a new season. For fans, the start of the year is another sign that warmer weather is around the corner. Hope springs eternal for every club that dreams of spending late June in Omaha for the College World Series. As the season begins, I also wanted to take time to thank the fellow officers for their work on the preseason All-America team and for Joe Dier for his work on the Stopper of the Year list. Those lists take quite a bit of time to compile, but in the end is worth it because it allows us the chance to honor some truly worthy student-athletes. As a reminder, we will begin naming the Pro-Line Athletic National Players of the Week next Monday. We want to thank Pro-Line Athletic for their continued support in sponsoring this award. With the thank you’s being said, we also just mailed out the 2008 NCBWA Membership Directories, and a special thanks to officers Julie St. Cyr, Russ Anderson and Mike Montoro for tremendous work and preparation of the directory. Again, good luck to all, and "Play Ball: 2008 Style" Friday! Shamus McKnight NCBWA President Longtime NCBWA President, Snypp Award Winner Tom Price Dies Tom Price, sports information director for 30 years at the University of South Carolina, passed away on Fri., Feb. 1, 2008, at the age of 81 in Columba, S.C. Price was affiliated with the University of South Carolina since 1962 and served in an emeritus capacity from 1992 to 2008. He was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. Price graduated from South Carolina in 1951 with a degree in journalism and joined the athletic department in 1962 after 11 years in wire service journalism. He served as sports information director from 1962 to 1985 and as assistant athletics director/media relations until 1992. He continued to serve the athletic department until his passing in an emeritus capacity and as athletic department historian. Price also was the official scorer for the South Carolina baseball home games and served as analyst on the Gamecock Radio Network for road games. Price was inducted into College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame in 1981. He received the CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992 and, in 1993, won the CoSIDA Arch Ward Award, presented annually to a CoSIDA member who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of college sports information and who by his or her activities, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession. Price was a former president of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and received the Wilbur Snypp Award from the NCBWA in 1982 for promotion and service to college baseball. Price was also the author of several books on Carolina football, basketball, baseball, and other sports. NCBWA Announces 2008 Stopper of the Year Watch List Forty players have been named to the initial watch list for the fourth annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award. The award is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. With all five of the finalists for the 2007 honor having concluded their collegiate careers, a wide- open race for this year's Stopper of the Year Award in anticipated. Sam Houston State relief ace Luke Prihoda, a 24th-round draft pick and signee of the Arizona Diamondbacks, claimed last year's award. Eight of the nominees were included in the 2008 NCBWA Preseason All-America Team announced by the organization in December. Nineteen different conferences are represented on this year's talent-filled watch list, with the Pacific-10 Conference leading the way with five selections. The Big East and the Big 12 both have four pitchers each on this year's watch list while the Big Ten, SEC and the West Coast Conference are presented by three players each. Nominations for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award were made by baseball sports information contacts. The initial list will be updated with a mid-season release the week of April 14, including national saves leaders. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Division I national saves leader and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as finalists and released Wednesday, May 28, prior to the start of NCAA regional tournament competition. The NCBWA's All-America Committee will then select the winner with this year's recipient to be announced Wednesday, June 4, before the opening of NCAA super regional play. Texas hurler J. Brent Cox won the inaugural Stopper of the Year Award in 2005, with Don Czyz of Kansas claiming the honor in 2006 and Luke Prihoda of Sam Houston State topping the field in 2007. The NCBWA, founded in 1962, also presents the Dick Howser Trophy to the nation's top player in addition to naming a Division I All-America Team, Division I and Division III Players of the Week, Division I District Players of the Year and Division III Players of the Year. For additional information on the 2008 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, please contact Joe Dier at Mississippi State (662-325-8040). 2008 NCBWA STOPPER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST PITCHER SCHOOL CL. HOMETOWN Brian Alas Richmond Jr. Port Washington, N.Y. David Anderson Coastal Carolina So. Lexington, S.C. Jason Buursma Bucknell Sr. Seattle, Wash. Kyle Carr (LHP) Minnesota Jr. Linton, N.D. Nick Cassavechia Baylor Sr. Dallas, Texas Daniel Edwards Kansas State Sr. Kingwood, Texas Robbie Elsemiller Stetson Sr. Okeechobee, Fla. Tim Erickson (LHP) Lamar Sr. Sour Lake, Texas Danny Farquhar UL-Lafayette Jr. Pembroke Pines, Fla. Jordan Flasher George Mason Jr. Manassas, Va. Bryant George Southern Illinois So. DuQuoin, Ill. Kyle Gibson Missouri So. Greenfield, Ind. Matt Gorgen California Jr. Clayton, Calif. A.J. Griffin San Diego So. El Cajon, Calif. Jake Hale Ohio State Jr. Albany, Ohio James Hayes Rider So. Sunrise, Fla. Ross Humes (LHP) Wash. State Jr. Federal Way, Wash. Jason Jarvis Arizona State So. Scottsdale, Ariz. Matt Karl (LHP) Connecticut Jr. Wallingford, Conn. Joe Kelly UC Riverside So. Corona, Calif. Dan Kennedy Georgetown Sr. West Orange, N.J. Jeff Lockwood (LHP) Tennessee So. Knoxville, Tenn. Jeff Lombard Santa Clara Sr. Woodinville, Wash. Colin Lynch St. John's Jr. Manchester, N.H. Chris Manning Belmont Jr. Nashville, Tenn. Eryk McConnell NC State Sr. Waynesville, N.C. Drew O'Neil Penn State Jr. Roswell, Ga. Shawn Sanford USF So. Cinnamison, N.J. Cody Satterwhite Ole Miss Jr. Jackson, Miss. Daniel Schlereth (LHP) Arizona Jr. Lone Tree, Colo. Michael Seander Duke So. Pawtucket, R.I. Brian Shaw Long Beach State Sr. Livermore, Calif. Matt Shoemaker Eastern Michigan Jr. Trenton, Mich. David Slovak Delaware Sr. Louisville, Ky. Cole St. Clair (LHP) Rice Sr. Santa Ana Calif. Jason Stoffel Arizona So. Agoura, Calif. Kyle Thebeau Texas A&M Jr. Corpus Christi, Texas Pat Venditte (LHP/RHP) Creighton Sr. Omaha, Neb. Aaron Weatherford Mississippi State Jr. Crystal Springs, Miss. Mark Willinsky Santa Clara So. Las Vegas, Nev. Preseason BASEBALL AMERICA Top 25 Division I Poll for ’08 Rk School 1. UCLA 2. Arizona 3. Vanderbilt 4. Ole Miss 5. North Carolina 6. Missouri 7. Oregon State 8. Michigan 9. Arizona State 10. Miami (Fla.) 11. San Diego 12. South Carolina 13. Long Beach State 14. Rice 15. Baylor 16. Texas 17. Virginia 18. Fresno State 19. Louisiana-Lafayette 20. Wichita State 21. Texas A&M 22. Tulane 23. Clemson 24. East Carolina 25. Old Dominion Preseason Black College Baseball Poll February 11, 2008 http://blackcollegebaseball.com/POLLS/2008/021108_preseason.htm COLLEGE/ UNIVERSITY 1. Prairie View A&M (7 first place votes) 2. Bethune Cookman (9) 3. Southern University 4. North Carolina A&T (2) 5. Jackson State 6. Norfolk State 7. Savannah State 8. Mississippi Valley State 9. Alcorn State 10. Delaware State NCBWA Preseason Division II Poll Bob McCommas from Slippery Rock State and NCBWA board member is coordinating the NCBWA Division II baseball polls for the seventh consecutive year. The compilation by a panel of national polls will run through the week after the DII championship. The ’08 preseason poll follows. Rank School '07 Record (1st) Points Last Week 1 Tampa (Fla.) 53-10 11 275 -- 2 Columbus State (Ga.) 51-19 -- 229 -- 3 Mesa State (Colo.) 49-14 -- 225 -- 4 Angelo State (Texas) 51-20 -- 223 -- 5 Franklin Pierce (N.H.) 49-11 -- 218 -- 6 Florida Southern 44-16 -- 196 -- 7 Central Missouri 51-12 -- 192 -- 8 Abilene Christian 47-13 -- 169 -- 9 Grand Valley State (Mich.) 45-9 163 -- Tusculum (Tenn.) 50-14 -- 163 -- 11 Mount Olive (N.C.) 49-13 -- 157 -- 12 Georgia College & St 46-16 -- 155 -- 13 Delta State (Miss.) 45-16 -- 143 -- 14 West Chester (Pa.) 33-17 -- 133 -- 15 Southern Indiana 43-23 -- 114 -- 16 Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 50-10 -- 98 -- 17 Nebraska-Omaha 37-24 -- 96 -- 18 Cal State Chico 47-15 -- 88 -- 19 UC San Diego 37-25 -- 84 -- 20 Minnesota State 45-10 -- 62 -- 21 Sonoma State (Calif.) 50-12 -- 52 -- 22 Slippery Rock (Pa.) 35-17 -- 48 -- 23 Cal State L.A. 45-17-1-- 43 -- 24 SIU-Edwardsville 37-17 -- 35 -- 25 Kutztown (Pa.) 49-7 -- 34 -- Others Receiving Votes: Emporia State (Kan.) 28, Francis Marion (S.C.) 26, Montevallo (Ala.) 21, Armstrong Atlantic State (Ga.) 17, Adelphi (N.Y.) 16, West Alabama 15, West Virginia State 14, Barry (Fla.) 9, Saint Edward's (Texas) 9, Ashland (Ohio) 7, Bryant (R.I.) 5, North Georgia 5, South Carolina-Aiken 3, Lynn (Fla.) 2, Massachusetts-Lowell 2, California (Pa.) 1.